wordsofclover's Reviews (2.16k)

A collection of short stories looking at family, relationships, friendships and human experience. I really enjoy Emma Cline's writing - I don't think this was a stand out short story collection for me but I still enjoyed my time reading this story. Ever since The Girls, I've loved Emma Cline's writing and her style always resonates with me in different ways. She has a brilliant way of writing scenes or atmospheres that feel a bit seedy and sticky whether it's because of what the characters are doing or saying, or the literal heat and environment in the story - it makes you want a shower and I felt the same way about The Girls as I did with certain stories in this book. There was one story in particular that felt like it may have, at one point, been a short story that developed into The Girls novel as it has a similar feel and theme (aka cult vibes). 

Molly Black is gone missing - or at least, she's packed her bags and left a note that she doesn't want to be found for a while but if the Black family are good at anything, it's finding Molly when she has one of her runaway moments. This is the story of a family who love each other beyond measure and will always be there for each other - even if sometimes this is a slightly over suffocating way. It's also a story about grief as Molly is dealing with the death of her parents and how that grief has stayed with her for years into adulthood and she's still dealing with it.

I listened to this on audiobook and just absolutely loved it. The Black family are brilliant with the variety of different characters from the leader of the pack Uncle John who could never have children but is actually a perfect father figure for all his nieces and nephews and he loves them fiercely, as well as Lady V who married into the family and is still figuring out all the oddities but also what makes the Blacks special. Then there's cousin Anna who has always been in Molly's shadow but is now realising just how much she loves her cousin and wants to find her.

I think this book would be a wonderful wild movie like The Snapper showcasing Irish family life and mad characters you tend to find in a lot of extended families. I loved seeing a glimpse into all the character's lives, and all the ways everyone was intertwined with one another - and especially the effect of Molly's mother and her special ways, and why it's so sad she's no longer around to be with everyone but especially to help her daughter along her road in adulthood. 

Lila Marleigh is a woman of independent means having escaped the brutal house she grew up in with her stepmother, and half-brother following the death of her father. Being the daughter of a white aristocrat and his Indian mistress means Lila has had to make her own means in the world, and she has made her fortune by being the hostess of an up-and-coming salon where those that cross the threshold can gamble and drink to their heart's content. Lila is used to being adored in her salon so it's a surprise when she meets Ivor Tristram who appears to loathe her. But soon the pair have to team up on a mission to right the course of justice and it's hard to hide their true feelings towards each other.

This book was.....fine? I enjoyed many parts of it and I liked the chemistry and relationship between Lila and Ivor (though the third act break-up wasn't a particularly good one imo). The romance does really take a back seat in this one I think due to the other storyline with Maisie and Sunil, and obviously this one is a lot more important as it's a case of life and death. I think there were small issues with the writing and the story-telling that shows the author isn't quite a seasoned author yet but the potential is there. There was some repetition of phrases and words that grew annoying (there was a scene where Lila had a bit too much too drink and therefore kept giggling incessantly and it was very irritating). I also thought there was a little bit of telling and not showing.

I appreciated the cast of characters that included people of colour from Lila herself, to Maisie and Sunil. I'm looking forward to eventually reading the other Marleigh sister books as I think racial identity within high society at this time is an interesting thing to read about, and important as well - and not often told enough. 

Set in a Nigerian city, this story follows two characters who live very different lives - one is a teenage boy called Eniola, who is facing daily beatings in school due to his parents' inability to pay his school fees but most days, there isn't even food on the table since his father lost his job. The other character Wuraola is a young doctor, newly engaged to a man from a good family, and the daughter of a professor herself. The two lives we follow are very separate as they both go through ups and downs, but eventually they converge in a moment of tragedy.

This book is one that I wasn't sure how I really felt until the very end, and I had to ask myself if there was a hole in my chest due to the immense sad feelings I had for the characters and how much I wanted to hold them and comfort them but also spend more time with them - and ask what happens next?

I loved the setting in this book as I often do with Nigerian writers, and Nigerian-based stories. The Nigerian culture from the family dynamics, food, clothing and celebration all comes alive in so many ways as well as some of the bad sides of the country as well such as political corruption and violence, family pressures about being a wife but also a 'good' wife, and the unfair education system. It was honestly so sad to see Eniola's heart be broken in so many ways in this book (similar in a way to how Wuraola's spirit and body are beaten by Kunle) as he saw his father for who he really was, not a teacher hero but a man prone to depression and unable to help his family when they most need it, and also saw his parents choose his sister's education over his own. The fact that Eniola went from a boy who dreamed of university to one who eventually picked up a machete in a moment that changed his world forever was devastating and the broken boy at the end of the novel was heartache personified.

On the other hand, Wuraola's life and problems are so very different to Eniola's - while he is struggling to find food to eat, she is balancing a needy, problematic boyfriend as well as her loud yet loving family and societal expectations on her as a Nigerian woman but also a daughter of a prominent family. But through the story, we see how good her family is, her father's kindness and her sister's courage, as well as her mother's love for her children as well as her moments of charity towards Eniola.

The almost last scene at the end of the book in the taxi broke my heart and I don't think I'll ever forget it. 

It's almost time for the Sunbearer Trials but 17-year-old semiodios Teo isn't worried because he's the son of a Jade Goddess, and it's pretty much only ever the children of Golds (due to their stronger abilities) that reigning being Sol chooses for the trials, the loser of which is sacrificed. But this time, the trials are different and not only is Teo chosen for the trials, but so is another Jade semidios Xio, as well as Teo's best friend Niya, a Gold semidios. Now Teo has to figure out how to survive against competitors that are much stronger, and better trained than him as well as figuring out to keep Xio and Niya alive as well.

This book was just so much fun, and as soon as I get to grips with the world of Reino del Sol, and how the Dioses and Semidioses worked, I was all in. If I could describe this, it would be The Hunger Games meets Percy Jackson's Camp Half-Blood but with a whole lot of South American/LatinX influencer and also everyone is queer!

Our main character Teo is a transboy, and I just loved that this was a small part of who he was, it was mentioned and never really made a big deal out of. It wasn't something to be mocked or something that made him stand out either as he was living in a world where to confirm your gender later on in life is very much a norm (in fact, when this happens there's a special Gender ceremony/party which is awesome). A majority of the character in this appear to be queer - there are non-binary characters who use they/them pronouns as well as many characters who are the offspring of two dads or two moms etc.

The character growth and transformation in Teo was lovely to behold as from the start of the trials, he is someone who isn't sure about their own abilities or even right to stand alongside a Gold to the point when he literally soars into the sky with his new transformed wings, and realises that hey, maybe he is worthy and also maybe he has a chance at winning this thing! I loved the friendships in this book especially Teo and Niya, obviously (Niya is basically Luisa from Encanto and I loved her), and then the timid one between Teo and Aurelio.

The ending of this was shocking, and I loved the promise of some great adventure to come. 

Celine and Luke are getting married, and they're pretty happy about it. Until Luke goes missing from his own engagement party, and Celine catches him on a pretty big lie. Over the next year, we follow bridesmaid Phoebe, Best Man Archie and wedding guest Vivian as the wedding day draws nearer, but will it end up in 'I do'.

This book is basically if you ignore every red flag a guy is waving at you, can you really expect a different outcome than utter catastrophe? Despite some of the awkward moments, the gross lack of communication from people (despite there being some serious topics to discuss), and some casual drug taking, I thought this book was really good. I basically read the entire thing in a day, as even though the book technically takes place over 2 years, it feels like only a day as it's very fast-paced and easy to read.

I loved the sexual fluidity in this book - a majority of the characters were queer and the only one who wasn't - Luke's friend Shawn - didn't get his own POV as he was the boring one. Luke was basically a bit of an avid dater (though not so good with actual commitment) so his two best friends, Archie and Vivian, are also his exes while Celine's last serious relationship was with a woman who finally taught her the magic of a vibrator.

For those out there who hate books were if the characters just talked to each other, everything would be resolved, this one might not be for you. As the characters are all just really good at bottling things in and hoping if they don't say anything, everything will be just fine despite a poison slowly festering away between them all.

Luke's entire character actually reminded me a lot of the movie About Adam, and yes, he was Adam. It almost felt like whiplash going from Celine's POV to her thoughts about Luke, to Luke's and seeing what he was really thinking about everything and knowing he wasn't so much of a great guy, was a serial cheater and worst of all was so aware of everything he was doing but just too much of a coward to figure it out.

I really loved Celine's sister Phoebe in this and thought she was a stand-out character but one we really didn't have enough time with. She kind of barrel-rolled into the story, breaking things left, right and center, and coming up fighting but charming all at the same time. I feel like I know people like Phoebe in real life, and they're the type of people that are just an utter breath of fresh air in a room of office drones and civil servants and will always bring some colour to the party.

I just had a fun time reading this and would recommend. I think this would be a great plane/holiday read as you can just get stuck in and you have to keep turning those pages until before you realise you're finished! 

I really wanted this one to work for me but unfortunately I just didn't enjoy it the way I hoped - this may have been because I listened to it on audiobook, and I think even though the audiobook narrator was good, it just didn't connect with me the way you want an audio experience to.

This book examines a very dark time in American history as we follow Hiram Walker, who was born on a Virginian plantation, his father the plantation owner, and forced to watch his mother be taken from him and sold and then eventually he is taken to the big house to work and become an assistant to the owner's son, his half brother. As Hiram gets older, things happen that make it clear he has a perculiar gift, and when he discovers an Underground group, his gift becomes the key for success.

This book is beautifully written and told, and I was really struck by so many parts of it. Hiram's memory loss due to the trauma of having his mother taken, and then his strange upbringing with knowing who his father was but always treated like a servant and knowing he'd never be more than that to his family was so sad. And then we see Hiram's found family in the form of elderly caretaker Athena, butler Rocco and Sophia, who becomes a love interest for Hiram but due to her beauty is used in ways that are unimaginable.

I think what mostly didn't work for in this book is the blend of genres and the way the historical story of the Underground Railroad, and the magical realism of Hiram and Harriet's gifts. I found myself confused a lot at times, and I think the pacing of the story also suffered because of this - it really felt like it took a very long time to Hiram to really understand his gift, and be able to use it the way he wanted. And by the time he gets home to Virginia, and Athena and Sophia, the book was almost over and his mission to save them felt very rushed.